Blossoming Sakura
by Lady Kogawolf
Summary: Sakura is returning to the village a changed woman. The shy violet is now a flower who bloomed in adversity and wasn't afraid to fight when called upon. Now, the village is watching the woman who changed traditions, while he is watching her.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: _This fic was actually my first Naruto fic that I did over at . Right now, I'm beginning to work on all of my fics again and realized that I've never put this one up over here. So, without further ado, here is my latest (and my oldest) fic.

This fic is completely, totally AU. I am not following the storyline what-so-ever and as for where Sakura gained her strength, I'm saying that she figured it out all on her own. After all, she's very smart and would probably have figured it out.

The idea of an Omega Shinobi is pretty much my idea. The idea of an Omega is that Omega Shiobi are the ones that are called into action where regular shinobi cannot handle a situation.

This is a Kakashi/Sakura. So, please read and review.

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* * *

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_"Naruto! Sasuke! Wait for me!" She called out, her feet carrying her swiftly across the field towards her teammates. When they didn't stop, she gritted her teeth and increased her speed. In the distance, she could see Kakashi-sensai and knew that he was waiting on them._

Now, out of breath, she smiled and realized that she had finally gained on them and when she saw that they were now standing with Kakashi-sensai, she silently thanked the great kamis that she didn't have that much further to go.

But, as she drew closer, she noticed that they had as of yet to turn and look at her, and instead, they turned and began exercises that she recognized as Kakashi-sensai's favorite to warm them up. As she got within earshot, she opened her mouth to call out their names, but suddenly found herself staring at a brick wall.

Frowning, she tried to go around the wall, but it seemed as though the wall went on forever. There was no way around it!

'Weakest of Team 7.'

'She got lucky when she was picked for that team. Everyone knows that she's always being saved by Naruto, Sasuke, or Kakashi.'

'Even her father thinks that she is worthless.'

Tensing as she heard those cruel voices, she covered her ears and fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face as she rocked back and forth. No, those words couldn't be true. Ok, so she messed up on some things, and she was always being protected by the boys, but that only meant that they cared for her.....didn't it?

'You're so annoying.'

'Sasuke would never look at her. He needs a real kunoichi, and not some wannabe.'

Crying out, she tried to drown out the voices, but they kept coming, and finally, she screamed as loud as she could.

* * *

Her eyes snapped open and she quickly sat up. Her brow was drenched in sweat and she took in several deep breaths as her breathing calmed.

Glancing over at her night table, she narrowed her eyes on the letter that sat there, so innocently, and she wondered why in kami's name did she open it, especially after seeing who had sent it?

Sighing, she flopped onto her back and closed her eyes, but sleep would not come. So, she softly cursed and threw back the covers, and yelped when the cool air hit her warmed skin. Finally, she gathered up her courage, and darted out of bed and into the bathroom to wash up for the day. Besides, she had a lot of packing to do and she only had a few hours to do it in.

Once she was dressed and had grabbed an apple from the kitchen, she made her way out of her apartment and headed towards the building, where her commander would be waiting with her transfer papers. Scowling, she wondered what Konoha offered in exchange for her. Probably something major.

Once inside the large building, she forced a smile on her face and approached the office where she knew her commander to be. Knocking, she heard his gruff voice and smiled. Despite the fact that he was her superior, he had taken her under his wing when she first arrived and bloomed under his instruction.

"You wanted to see me?" She asked, her green eyes focused on the frowning man. They had long ago done away with formalities, and she knew it must be serious if he was this bothered.

"I'm sure that you already know that you are being sent back to Konoha, and that your father had a part in this. However, being the coward that he is, he probably failed to explain why." Hiro said, his grey eyes staring intently into her own.

Shrugging, she sat down in the chair that sat in front of his desk and calmly said, "All he told me was that there was an issue that needed my attention, and that I had better get my ass home to deal with it."

Smirking, he nodded. "Yeah, I figured he'd chicken out." He replied, and then pushed a folder towards her. "This is the matter that needs to be taken care of."

Frowning, she opened up the folder and then glanced up at Hiro in shock. Surely, he could not be suggesting that she....no, he wouldn't do that to her. It was cruel. It was horrible. And, she....she would be.....

"Their babysitter, or sensai, if you'd prefer." Hiro said, a slight smile forming on the corners of his mouth. "See, the hokage gave your father a choice, either teach them himself, or find someone else to do it, and he chose you."

Narrowing her eyes, she snapped, "And, I don't suppose that you spoke up on my behalf?" When no answer came, she sighed. "Ok, what did Konoha promise in return?"

Hiro blushed and then chuckled as he allowed a large hand to reach back and scratch the back of his head. "They promised to accommodate us when the next festival is held, and Sakura, you know how good the food and entertainment is, but most importantly, we don't have to pay a single dime." He said, his voice suddenly cheerful as he began to think about all of the beautiful women he'd be able to fondle.

"And, I get to be the sacrificial lamb." Sakura grumbled, her mood quickly growing darker by the minute. She watched as Hiro shuffled papers around and then snapped, "Damn it, I am one of the Omegas. You personally trained me to be in the field, not teach kids."

"I know." Hiro said, quietly. "Sakura, we both know how you feel about Konoha. Hell, I know better than anyone how much you dislike your father, but you are still apart of him, and a part of Konoha. They need good sensais, and my dear, you are one of the best. And, the fact that you are an Omega is the most important part. You will be training those kids in the way of the Omega, much like I did with you."

Sakura was quiet for a moment, but then softly said, "I had the dream again, Hiro."

She heard him slide back his chair and soon found herself wrapped up in his embrace. Sighing, she placed her head on his chest and felt his fingers slide through her long hair.

"I know you had it rough, and I know that you don't want to go back, but Sakura, this is your chance to show all of them that they were wrong." He said, pulling back to look down in her eyes.

Huffing, she grumbled, "Who says that I care what they think, anyways?"

Chuckling, Hiro gently tapped her on the end of her nose and said, "Oh, I think that you know the answer to that, or else, you would not have had that dream. Now, don't you have things to do?"

Growling, she nodded and pulled out of his arms. Walking to the door, she quietly asked, "How long am I going to have to be there?"

"For as long as it takes, I'm afraid." Hiro replied. He regarded his favorite student and friend before adding, "Besides, you never know what you might find when you are back on familiar ground. You might actually get laid."

Shooting him a glare that promised pain, she snapped, "Fuck you."

"Now, now....I tried that once, and got kneed for it, remember?" Hiro playfully reminded her. However, his smile melted off of his face when Sakura grinned.

"Hiro, since I am leaving, let me tell you a little secret." She said, her mouth curving into a smirk. "It wasn't me that you hit on that night. It was Ashitaki and it was his knee that met your groin after you fondled his ass. That will teach you to drink so much, won't it?"

Hiro turned pale and now could understand why Ashitaki would always turn green when he came around. Looking up into her smug face, he shook his head and asked, "And you didn't see fit to stop me?"

"Nope." Sakura said, and straightened her uniform. "I won a lot of money when I bet that you would grab someone's ass. Thankfully, I was right, and to sweeten the deal, that ass just happened to belong to a guy."

His eyes blazing, he began to approach Sakura, but she simply opened the door, blew him a kiss, and gaily called out, "Sorry to be leaving so soon. I got to pack, you know."

When his door shut, Hiro sank into his chair and held his hands in his head. Damn his love of drinking.

* * *

The train ride had been, at best, lousy. The seats were uncomfortable, she had a headache, and there were a couple of guys who kept hitting on her, and only stopped when she threatened to rip off the piece of anatomy that proved them to be male.

Now, as she stood at the station, she glanced around and sighed. Her father was no where to be seen, but then again, it didn't surprise her. Shrugging, she hauled up her bags and began to walk. It wasn't that far, and knowing her father, she would have been carrying everything, anyways. So, at least this way, she didn't have to listen to him run off at the mouth.

The walk to Konaha was quiet and gave her time to think about what she wanted to say to her parents. The hokage graciously offered to furnish her with an apartment, and would take the rent out of her check, but for the night, she would have to stay with her parents.

Her mother was a great woman. Her father, well, he wasn't that great. In fact, he was a giant ass. He was constantly telling her that she was weak and that he wished that he had a son instead of a daughter, and to be frank, she just didn't care what he thought anymore. Any bond that they once held, was long dead.

She entered the busy city and lifted a brow. Well, not much had changed, and she shook her head and silently cursed her luck. She wanted to be back in Sajai, but had to face facts that she was here to stay.

As she walked, she didn't notice the looks that she was getting, nor did she hear any of the whispers. In fact, she was too busy trying to remember if she needed to take a right or left at the next intersection to get to her parents' home.

As she made her way down the sidewalk, she decided to try the left, and grinned when she saw a familiar ramen stand. She was only a couple of blocks from her old house, and knew that her mom had probably made a large dinner to celebrate.

As she walked, children would run past her, and stare up at her. At first, it annoyed her, but silently scolded herself for being so bitchy and that they were not doing anything to her, except stare at her uniform.

Ok, she supposed that it was quite odd to see someone, especially a female, in an Omega uniform. Hell, it shocked her when she was told that she was the first woman to make the team. Now, she was expected to train new Omegas, and get them ready for the trials.

Soon, she stood at her mother's door and gently knocked, then glanced over her shoulder to see people standing on the street, pointing at her and whispering. Rolling her eyes, she bit back a snide remark as the door unlocked and flung open to reveal her mom.

"Sakura!" Her mother cried, pulling her daughter into her arms. "I can't believe that you are here."

Laughing a little, she gently guided her mother back and walked into the house, shut the door, and then allowed her stuff to fall to the floor with a satisfied sigh. Glancing at her mother, she grinned. "I can't believe it either, but I was ordered to come."

"You mean forced, don't you?" Her mother asked, her green eyes narrowing. When her daughter nodded, the older woman let out a sharp breath and then motioned for her to follow her into the kitchen. Pointing to a chair, her mother calmly said, "Your father won't be home until late. He likes to drink with the other shinobi."

"You don't sound too disappointed. Has dad's charm finally worn off?" Sakura asked, her tone dry. When no reply came, she shook her head. "I see." She said. "Well, at least you don't have to listen to his mouth."

"That's true." Her mother grinned. She placed a plate of food before Sakura and then fixed one for herself and sat at the table. "So, tell me what it is like to be an Omega Shinobi."

* * *

Frowning, she made her way into the night and followed the sound of laughter to the local bar, where she remember that the shinobi of the village would converge after a hard day's work to cut loose. Narrowing her eyes, she recalled the conversation with her mother and decided that it was time for her to speak her mind, and boy, did she have a lot to say.

The doors were open and the strong scent of sweat, booze, and she wasn't sure, but she thought that the third smell could be vomit. Cringing, she sighed, but then straightened her shoulders. She wasn't going to be stopped until she and her father finally saw eye-to-eye.

Walking into the establishment, she blinked and then wondered if her decision to confront her father on this turf was the wrong decision. Men and women were loudly talking, toasting some victory or another, laughing, dancing (or if one was to get technical...humping). Gritting her teeth, she had the absent thought that if the music got any louder, her brain was going to explode.

However, she had a job to do, and she really didn't give a damn if she embarrassed him or herself. Hell, she was a pro at embarrassing herself. When she was initiated into the Omegas, she had done some humiliating things, all in the name of brotherhood. She wondered if the village leader had ever forgiven her for flashing him, especially with his wife and mother in law sitting next to him. Well, at least she proved herself to her brothers.

Her eyes scanned the room, and she noted that she recognized many faces, but she still could not see her father. As her eyes became accustomed to the lighting, she frowned when she saw her father with a girl in his lap, and he was currently whispering something in her ear, making the girl giggle.

Sakura's inner self decided that it was time that she stepped in. After all, it was she who got Sakura to get the balls up and try out for the Omegas, and it was she who beat the ever-loving snot out of Nashi Honodoro for calling her a bitch. And, she was also responsible for a whole laundry list of other naughty things, but right now, this matter and not memories, caught her attention.

She didn't notice that many heads had turned in her direction, nor did she pay attention to the leers and smirks coming her way. Her eyes were on her father and his hand, which was now caressing the girl's backside, and the little bitch was clearly enjoying it.

Reaching behind her, she pulled out her gloves and quickly put them on, and then cracked her knuckles. After all, if she was going to fight, she didn't want her knuckles getting hurt when she shoved the little whore's teeth down her throat.

With her hair pulled back, and the dim lighting, she knew it would be hard for someone to notice her hair color. After all, she was the only one in Konaha who had pink hair, but now that it was longer, and with age, darkened in color, it could pass for light brunette.

Smirking, she slowly made her way over to the oblivious couple, but took note that the bar had settled down. Everyone was watching her move towards the pair, and many people tensed. When she got close enough, she saw that the girl was grinding her hips against her father, and watched as they leaned into to kiss each other. However, before their lips met, Sakura reached out and grabbed the back of the girl's hair and yanked hard.

Suddenly, they were the center of attention.

Bringing her lips down to the girl's ear, she softly asked, "Are you aware that he is married?"

The girl began to struggle, and yelped when she was harshly yanked off of the warm lap. Releasing the girl's hair, Sakura's foot came up and planted itself squarely in her father's chest, preventing him from rising.

"Don't you fucking move. We have a lot to discuss, mostly about how you are treating my mother." She snapped, her eyes narrowing in a silent challenge.

Haruno Satchi's mouth dropped open and he dumbly nodded. Surely, he didn't hear correctly? This young woman was upset over the way he treated her mother? Who was her mother?

Turning to the girl, Sakura glared at her and snapped, "If you want to stay healthy, beat it."

Scrambling up to her feet, the girl took in a breath to tell Sakura off, but was stopped when a fist connected with her jaw, sending her flying backwards and onto a table. Her scream of surprise and pain echoed in the now silent bar and Sakura was quite pleased to hear the crunch that came from the girl's jaw when she hit her.

Before Sakura could approach, the girl turned and ran, her hand on her injured jaw. Smirking, she turned to her father, who was still staring at her. Men rose from their seats, and were about to approach her, but Sakura quickly shook her head, and snapped, "Oh, sit down before you get yourselves hurt. Besides, I think that it is time that my father and I got reacquainted."

Satchi's eyes widened and he stuttered, "S-Sakura?"

"Yeah, and from what I understand, we have a lot to discuss." She replied and allowed her gaze to narrow. "Let's start with the fact that you are screwing around on my mother."


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews. I hope that this fic continues to bring you guys a lot of entertainment. Please remember that this is completely AU and does not follow the storyline at all. I don't own Naruto and his pals.

* * *

The gasps were clearly heard as father and daughter stared each other down. Finally, Satchi smirked and shook his head.

"Well, I see you finally got your lazy ass home. At least you did something right." He sneered. He reached down to pick his glass up, but his wrist was caught in a firm grip and he glared into her eyes.

Sakura allowed her own smirk to cross her lips and began to tighten her grip on his wrist. With her chakra now engaged, she would have to be careful or her strength could end up breaking his wrist. On second thought, maybe then he'd learn to keep his paws to himself.

"I can do many things right, dad. One of them is whipping ass, which I am going to do to you if you don't get home. Mom is waiting on you." She replied, her tone bored.

Snorting, the man yanked his wrist out of her grasp, not realizing that she allowed him to do so, and grinned. "Your mother isn't worth my time. She bores me and I have needs." He said, crossing his arms.

Quirking an eyebrow up, Sakura calmly said, "Well, since you put it that way, let me be honest about something. I fibbed when I said that mom was waiting on you. In fact, she could care less. I just didn't want to have to humiliate you in front of your pals when I beat your ass into the ground."

"Little girl," He growled, his anger finally peaking. "If you don't get out of my face and let me finish my drink, I am going to show you exactly who is boss in this family."

Sakura grinned, reached down to the glass, lifted it up for her father to see, and proceeded to pour the contents onto the floor between them. Both father and daughter stared down at the puddle and then slowly lifted their heads to look in each other's eyes.

"You did that on purpose." Satchi slurred, his tone filled with shock. Sakura bit her lip, looked at the glass, then the floor, and then nodded.

"I think that you are right." She affirmed.

Hissing, he reached out to grab onto his daughter, but quickly found himself face down on a table, and his left arm twisted painfully behind his back. Sakura continued to apply pressure and only stopped when she heard him cry out.

"Now that I have finally gained your attention, let me tell you a few things, you stupid lush." She said, her voice void of all emotion. "Mom and I are not your punching bags. We are not going to let you walk over us any longer. If you want to go around and screw whores, that is your business, but you will not come home to my mother and climb into bed with her afterwards. This family doesn't need you and if we are going to be totally honest, we don't want you. I'll watch over mom. Stay away from her and from me. If you don't, I will make you regret it."

Satisfied that he heard her, she let go of his arm and shoved him away. When he turned to look at her, he gulped at what he saw. No longer was she the little girl who looked up at him with loving eyes. No longer did her face hold any of the warmth for him. His daughter was staring at him as though he were the enemy, and for the first time, he didn't see her as a little girl, but as a woman who has had enough. Kami, what in the hell did he do?

Turning on her heel, she began to walk towards the door, yanking off her gloves as she walked, and calmly said, "You may come and get your belongings in the morning, not before."

"Sakura," Satchi began, and watched as she froze in her stride, "I'm sorry."

Nodding, Sakura replied, "Yes, you are. You were a sorry father and an even worse husband. And now, you are all alone. After all, mom and I wouldn't want to bore you."

Without another word, she exited the bar and began to walk home, satisfied that her message had been received. Now, she had to figure out a way to break the news to her mother.

* * *

After she left, the bar exploded.

"Tell me that was not little Sakura?" Asuma said, his cigarette hanging out of his mouth in disbelief. "I never thought I'd see the day that she'd stand up to her dad."

Many heads nodded and then turned their eyes to the man who was hanging his head in shame. They all knew what he was doing, and had all tried to talk some sense into him, but now, it appeared that he grasped the severity of the situation, and was currently trying to come to terms with it.

Kurenai sighed and shook her head. "It's about time, if you ask me. That man had it coming." She said, her red eyes snapping. "Because of him, Sakura's self-esteem suffered, much like Hinata's. Now, it appears that her self-esteem is back and she is not afraid to put her foot down. Good for her."

At another table, the younger shinobi were talking as well. Ino rested her head on Sasuke's shoulder and bit her lip when she felt him stiffen. She knew that he didn't care for public displays of affection, but he didn't have to act like her touch disgusted him.

Naruto was grinning. He missed Sakura and when he heard that she was returning, he decided to plan a small get together to welcome her back. To say that he was shocked at the scene between her and her father was an understatement.

"Man, I've see Sakura mad, but never like that. I'm glad that I wasn't on the receiving end of that." He laughed, his arm tightening around Hinata.

The shy girl blushed, but nodded. "That was amazing. To stand up to him like that took a lot of courage. I'm glad for her." She replied, her tone soft.

Sasuke shook his head. He couldn't believe what he had seen, either. All these years, and the image of weak, pathetic Sakura was quickly fading into the image that just put her father into his place. Damn it, she had grown beautifully.

Standing up, he glared at Ino when he felt her hand tighten around his arm and watched as she blushed and quickly remove it. He glanced over at Naruto, who was whispering to Hinata, and sighed before saying, "I'm heading out. Kakashi and I are training early tomorrow, and I need to get some sleep." He glanced down at Ino, who perked up happily, before snapping, "Alone."

The blond beauty dropped her eyes and stared at the table as a deep blush spread across her cheeks. She heard the others wish him a good evening and felt him walk away from her. For a couple of months, Choji and Shika had been after her as to why she was with him, and each time, she would tell them that it wasn't their business.

It wasn't as if she didn't appreciate their concern, but she loved the Uchiha, and wanted him in every way possible. When Sakura left, she began to pursue him relentlessly, and when she finally got him, she made sure to gloat to everyone who would listen, that she finally got her man.

Asuma pulled her aside and warned her that Sasuke wasn't serious, but she waved his warning off with a grin and shook her head before telling him that, in private, he was very loving and considerate towards her. Ok, so that was perhaps not true. When they were together, they were usually screwing, or he was eating. But, at least they were together.

Shika snorted and turned away. When would that foolish woman realize that Sasuke was just toying with her? Well, when she did find out, he and Choji would be there to pick up the pieces. After all, they were teammates.

* * *

Morning came to find Sakura lazily stretching in bed. When she returned home, her mother greeted her at the front door and calmly asked her if she saw her father with another female. When she nodded, the older woman sighed and then shook her head.

Both women sat up and talked until after midnight, and when they went to bed, both agreed that they were better off without the self-serving male. Now, she could hear her mother grunting as she hauled her dad's crap out of their room and towards the door. Clearly, her mother wasn't wasting any time in removing him.

She climbed out of bed and quickly took a shower. She had a meeting with the hokage and needed to be there in an hour. She was also supposed to meet her new 'team'. Groaning, she prayed silently that she didn't receive someone like Naruto. He gave Kakashi-sensei many headaches.

Once dressed in her uniform, she made her way to the kitchen and found her mother humming happily. The older woman was dressed nicely, and had even done her make-up and fixed her hair. Grinning, Sakura whistled and asked, "Got a hot date?"

Her mother turned and smiled. Moving forward, she began to fix her daughter's uniform, which caused her pink-haired beauty to whine, "Mom, none of the other omegas' moms mess with their uniforms."

Her mother laughed at the teasing tone in Sakura's voice and replied, "Maybe their mothers don't love them as much as I love you."

Snorting, Sakura shook her head and wrapped her arms around her mom. "I can't stay. I got to go meet the hokage, and then meet my new little monsters." She said, making a face.

"Well, good luck. I hear that Kakashi is also training a new group. I've heard that they are even worse than what your team was." Her mother said, smiling.

Laughing, Sakura turned and walked towards the door. Opening it, she found herself face-to-face with her father, whose eyes were wide and shocked.

Satchi had known that Sakura was well respected in the village of Sajai, but he never thought that he'd be looking at her in an omega uniform.

To be an omega was an extreme honor. They were the ones that got called in when a situation got too sticky for regular shinobi to handle. Now, his daughter was clad in the tight black pants, tight black top with the omega seal adorning her left shoulder, and she was decked out with weapons. And, from what he once heard, never before had a woman been allowed to join, but clearly his daughter managed to find a way.

"What do you want?" Sakura asked, her tone cold. Her father's eyes snapped back up to hers and he took in a deep breath. Before he could say a word, her mother appeared and gave Sakura a gentle push.

"Go on. You'll be late." She said, her voice soft. "I want a word with your father."

Nodding, Sakura shot him a look that promised a lot of pain should he upset her mother, and began to walk towards the building that held the hokage's office.

When they were alone, husband and wife stared at each other and then the wife smirked. "Got you." She said, her tone full of joy.

Her husband gulped and hung his head. His fun was now over.

* * *

The town was crowded, and as she walked, many people stopped and stared at her. Some people called out to her, wishing her a good day, others simply waved and gave her bright smiles.

Villages, such as Konaha, were always fighting to have one or two omegas live within the village. It was a way for them to feel safe and secure. Mostly because of the training that omega must go through, it makes them feel as though the omega was invincible.

However, she knew too well that omegas were not invincible. The death of her teammate, Shinka, still haunted her and she had been the one to hold his hand as he died. From that day forward, she vowed not to go into a fight with temper. It was because of his hot head that caused Shinka's death. Had he not lost his temper, he would have prevailed.

But, here she was, and she needed to be ready for anything. She passed by a flower shop and stopped when her eyes came into contact with Ino's. The blond gave her a small smile and waved, causing Sakura to return the gesture, but then gasped when she noticed the time. Damn it, she had only five minutes to get to the building, or she was going to be late.

Taking off, Sakura ran quickly, her long hair flowing behind her. She could see the building looming in front of her and sighed with relief. Also, it didn't hurt that people quickly got out of her way when they saw her coming. Well, either move it or lose it. When the steps finally came into view, she grinned, but suddenly felt something slam into her, causing her to fall backwards to the ground.

Glaring, she looked down at a small boy whose brown hair appeared to be in great need of a haircut. Brown eyes glared into her green ones as he snapped, "Watch where you are going, old lady!"

The kid was off and running before she could say a word. She quickly got up, brushed herself off, and allowed his words to process through her mind.

Old lady? That brat had called her old. Well, he'd better be glad that he ran off, or she'd show him what an old lady could do to his hide.

Making her way into the building, many of the people stopped and gave her a slight bow in respect. She regarded them with a tilt of her head and was quickly led to the hokage's office. Knocking, she heard a female call out, "Come in."

Opening the door, she looked inside, and watched as a pretty woman turned in her seat, a smile upon her face.

"Ah, Sakura. It is nice to finally meet you. My name is Tsunade." She said, a smile lighting up her face.

Sakura bowed respectfully and took the seat that the hokage indicated to. Once she was comfortable, Tsunade calmly said, "I trust that your journey here went well."

Sakura allowed a stiff smile to cross her lips, and gave a curt nod. She wasn't about to show this woman any kind of weakness, even if she had been irritated.

Tsunade liked the young woman before her. Even if she had been uncomfortable, she would never say it. Omegas were trained to deal with conditions that were unbearable, even for the most experienced shinobi.

"As you know, you are here to begin training a group of students. They are to be omegas down the road." Tsunade said. "You broke the mold when you became the first female omega, and proved that women could handle it. Now, they are wanting other females to be trained.

Sakura nodded. Great, she was a trend-setter. The older woman smiled and then leaned forward. "I heard about what happened with your father. I must say, you showed amazing restraint. I would not have been so kind." She confided.

Sakura grinned. "I didn't hurt him because I wanted my mother to get her fair share of pain in. I almost feel sorry for him." She replied, smirking.

Both women laughed, but then Tsunade reached into her desk and pulled out a key. "As promised, here is the key to your apartment. I took the liberty of having it furnished with the basics, and of course, rent will be taken out of your checks. Also, you need to know that you will be working closely with another team." She said, returning to business.

Nodding, Sakura pocketed the key and glanced up. "Whose the sensei for that team?" She asked. The woman sighed and leaned back. "The sensei is Kakashi. I know that he was your former sensei, and hope that you don't have a problem with working with him."

Sakura nearly rolled her eyes. Great, she got stuck with Kakashi and his stupid Icha Icha Paradise books. Well, at least she didn't get Gai.

Tsunade smiled when the young woman shook her head, and then stood up. "Well, let's go and meet your team." She said.

Walking together, both women gained a lot of attention. Both were quite beautiful, and both were deadly. When they reached a room, a loud bang was heard and a male yelped.

Yanking the door open, both Sakura and Tsunade were treated with the sight of Iruka tied up, and several brown haired little clones running around him, taunting him.

"What is going on?" Tsunade demanded, her eyes flashing. Suddenly, the room grew quiet, and the clones disappeared in a poof of smoke, leaving only one boy in their places.

In the corner, Sakura saw another boy with red hair was leaning against the wall, glaring at the ground and reminding her of Sasuke, while a blond girl was staring at her fingers as she twiddled them together, sort of reminding her of Hinata.

Her eyes moved to the cause of the trouble, and allowed her eyes to meet his brown ones. Suddenly, two voices rang out: One male, one female.

"It's the old lady!"

"It's the brat!"

Tsunade looked at Sakura and then at the boy for a moment, and then cheerfully said, "Good, you already know each other."

She turned to look at Iruka, who was pleading at her with his eyes, seeing as how he had been gagged. Sighing, Tsunade walked over to him and said, "I'm shocked at you, Iruka. I would think that after all these years of training Naruto, you'd be able to out smart Ikki. Clearly, I was mistaken."

When he was free, Iruka huffed and then pointed at the kid named Ikki. "That is not a kid. That is a hellion from the deepest pits of hell." He snapped.

"I agree." Sakura seconded, earning a glare from said hellion. "At least I'm not an old lady." Ikki taunted, his face lighting up as Sakura's face turned red.

"Listen up, brat. I am not old." She snapped, but then quickly calmed. "I am, however, your sensei, and I am going to make your life a living hell if you call me old ever again."

Ikki looked unimpressed as he shrugged and said, "Whatever you say.....old lady."

Tsunade got between sensei and student before any damage could be done and laughed. "Ok, in the corner, the young lady's name is Shiori, and the other young man's name is Kin. Sakura-sensei, meet team fifteen."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Here is the next chapter. Thank you so much for the reviews. Please, keep them coming. Enjoy the latest chapter.

* * *

Sasuke grunted as a hard fist landed in his stomach. Glaring up at the man, he spat, "Is that all you got, old man?"

An eye twitched at the word, 'old', but the man didn't show any other kind of emotion. Instead, he chose to respond to the taunt with a taunt. "For you, it's enough."

Launching himself at the copy nin, Sasuke grinned when it looked as if he was finally going to land a punch, but to his dismay, the copy nin simply disappeared, causing the younger man to fall to the ground in a graceless heap.

As he was about to get up, a kunai was pressed to his throat and a deep voice said, "It's over. I win."

Suddenly, the kunai moved away, and Sasuke rolled over and got to his feet. Glaring at Kakashi, he snapped, "How is it that you always manage to beat me?"

The taller man shrugged and quietly said, "I'm not as eager as you to shed blood. In the end, that will be your downfall."

"Whatever." Sasuke mumbled, his cheeks red. He hated it when Kakashi spoke down to him as if he was still the sensei. Glancing up, he noticed that Kakashi had whipped out his Icha Icha Paradise and was currently settling down to read it. Walking over and sitting down next to the man, Sasuke quietly asked, "Did you hear that Sakura has returned?"

Kakashi kept his eyes on his book, but nodded. "I heard that she made quite the scene with her father last night. Too bad that I could not be there to witness it." He said, turning a page.

Sasuke was quiet for a moment, but then said, "She has.....changed. She isn't like the way she used to be. This Sakura is forceful and doesn't mind a little violence to get her way."

"It sounds as if Ino now has some competition." Kakashi observed, his dark eye sliding over to his former student.

Sasuke shrugged. To be honest, Ino was alright, but too loud and bossy for him. "She had on these pants that hugged her in the right places and she had this little shirt that showed off her cleavage, but didn't make her look like a tramp. She was beautiful." He murmured, thoughtfully.

Kakashi didn't say a word. Clearly, the time away from Konaha had done Sakura a world of good. He knew that whatever Ino and Sasuke had was nothing more than just a fling. Asuma was ready with tissues and a shoulder whenever Sasuke decided to tell Ino that it was over.

"Are you going to be at the bar, tonight? Naruto said that he was going to try and get up with Sakura and drag her out. We could all have a drink together." Sasuke said, his eyes turning to the silver-haired copy nin.

Shrugging, Kakashi mumbled, "I'll think about it. If I am not there, tell Sakura I said hi."

Rolling his eyes and muttering a good bye, Sasuke got up and began to head home. However, when he approached his house, he saw that Ino was waiting on him, a large smile on her lips. Narrowing his eyes, he walked past her and heard her call his name, but didn't stop. Once inside, he got a drink and had taken a mouthful of water, Ino came up behind him and put her arms around his waist.

"I missed you this morning." She whispered, already feeling how tense his muscles were. When he didn't respond, she sighed and released him.

After several minutes of silence, Sasuke calmly said, "I am going out tonight. Naruto is going to be bringing Sakura to the bar and we are going to talk."

Ino brightened. "Oh, that will give Sakura and me a chance to catch up on old times." She said, her tone merry.

When her blue eyes took in the hardening of her lover's jaw, she stepped back and timidly asked, "What's wrong?"

"You are not invited." Sasuke bluntly informed her, his tone cold. "This is a meeting for team seven and I don't want you there."

Ino felt the tears come to her eyes as he turned his back to her. Biting her lip, she tried her best not to let her voice crack when she quietly said, "Well, I hope you have fun."

Nodding, he left the room and she turned to walk outside. She could feel her tears sliding down her face as she walked and she never noticed two shadows following her. When she finally made it to the safety of the forest, she slumped down against a tree and let the tears and sobs run freely.

After a couple of moments, she jumped when a hand fell to her head, and when she looked up, she managed to say, "I guess you came to tell me that you told me so."

Shikamaru and Choji simply shook their heads. Sitting down next to the heartbroken girl, Choji reached over and gently pushed her head against his shoulder, while Shikamaru cringed as the girl sobbed. Clenching his fist, he silently vowed that Sasuke would never hurt her like this again. He'd make sure of it.

* * *

As she walked down the crowded street, she fumed as she recalled that brat's parting words.

_"I hope you don't fall and break anything before tomorrow, granny!"_

Oh, she was going to make him suffer in the morning. But, she was also going to have to deal with Kakashi and his lazy ass, so that meant that she would need to get to bed early, just to have the patience to put up with both of them.

"Sakura! Hey, Sakura! Wait for me!" A loud voice called, causing her to pause and look over her shoulder.

Suddenly, she was tackled by a very happy Naruto and felt her breath leave her as he treated her to a bone-crushing hug.

"Man, I can't believe that it's actually you. You finally came home." He said, happily. "I wish we could have talked last night, but you were kind of busy."

When he finally let up on his hug, Sakura laughed and shook her head. "It's good to see you, as well. I've missed you." She replied.

The blonde nodded and motioned over towards the ramen stand. "Well, since you are here, and I am here, let's get some lunch. I bet Iruka-sensei would be happy to treat us." He said, waggling his eyebrows.

Laughing, Sakura followed Naruto, and sure enough, Iruka was sitting at a table and within a couple of minutes, offered to treat the two younger shinobi to lunch. As they sat with the older man, Iruka glanced over at Sakura and calmly asked, "So, what do you think of your team?"

Sakura's dark mood quickly returned. Naruto, recognizing the signs of her temper, smartly scooted away. "Ikki is a pain in the ass." She muttered, her arms crossing over her chest.

Iruka nodded. "Yes, he is a problem, but then again, so was Naruto." He said, motioning towards the blonde, who was currently shoveling in noodles. When he noticed that his companions were looking at him, he asked, "What?"

Shaking her head, Sakura quietly said, "I don't know that I'm going to be able to do this. I'm supposed to train them to become omegas, but I'm not sure if they are omega material. Ikki is too smart-assed for his own good, Shiori is so shy and I'm worried that she'd die of a heart attack should she be confronted, and Kin is too prideful, at least from what I can tell, and he has an arrogant streak."

"Yep, and they are all yours." Iruka said. Leaning forward, he quietly asked, "Do you know why they were put with you?"

When she shook her head, he grimaced a bit, but then said, "It's because this is the last chance for them. No one else will train them because of their track records and you are their last chance to become shinobi. If they fail with you, it's over for them."

Sakura slid down in her seat. Now she could understand why her dad was so anxious to get rid of them. He didn't want a bunch of trouble-makers under him and tarnishing his name. So, now it fell to her to deal with them. Oh, joy.

"Just do your best, alright?" Iruka said, patting her hand. "Besides, as an omega, you've faced worse, right?"

Nodding, Sakura's head turned towards Naruto when he asked, "You're an omega?"

"Why else would she be wearing the uniform?" Iruka asked, his tone bored. "Didn't you notice that she is wearing an omega uniform?"

Naruto's eyes took in the outfit that adorned Sakura's body and allowed his eyes to widen. Suddenly, he jumped up, pointed a finger at her, and yelled, "Who'd you steal that from?"

After several punches, and a bloody nose, Naruto wheezed, "Congratulations on becoming an omega, Sakura."

"Thank you, Naruto." She replied, her tone even. However, her eye twitched when he said, "Yeah, you're mean and scary enough to pull it off."

Iruka shook his head and quickly said, "Naruto, shut up and eat your ramen."

* * *

Gritting her teeth, she grumbled at her reflection before throwing the outfit away from her. Damn it, she used to be so good at this, and now, she couldn't even come up with a nice outfit to go out in.

After lunch, Naruto had, somehow, managed to convince her to come out with him to the bar, and since she agreed to his request, he agreed to help her move her stuff from her mom's house to her new apartment.

Now, as she stood in front of the mirror, she made a face at her reflection before muttering, "Fuck this." Grabbing a pair of loose pants and a halter top, she quickly dressed and then rolled her eyes when a loud banging was heard at her door.

Gritting her teeth, she quickly moved to the door and opened it just as Naruto was about to knock again and caught his fist in her hand.

"Ow, ow, ow....Sakura, let go!" Naruto said, his face showing just how much she was hurting him. Smirking, she released him and shook her head. "Keep banging like that and you're going to upset my neighbors." She replied, dryly.

Letting the young man in, she closed the door and sighed. "Sorry about the mess. After you left, I got busy on thinking about tomorrow and time got away from me." She said.

"Don't worry about it, Sakura." He grinned. "My place is just as messy."

"Yeah, but you have the cleaning instincts of a goat." Sakura replied and ignored his shout of protest. She reached over and grabbed a pair of boots. Once she had them on, she glanced at her friend and asked, "Are you ready?"

Naruto gave his former teammate an appraising look-over and bit back a sigh. He just knew that he was going to be getting into fights at the bar. She was beautiful and the fact that she wasn't trying to flaunt anything just made her beauty stand out even more. He knew her better than anyone and knew that she had her faults, but the fact that she seemed so comfortable in her skin, well, it made her seem so much more appealing.

"Yep, let's go. Oh, by the way, Sasuke is going to meet up with us. We want to have a little reunion and he said that Kakashi-sensei might even join us." Naruto said, as he watched her lock her front door.

Nodding, Sakura followed the young man down the steps and out into the cool night. Neither noticed that a door closed softly after they passed.

Kakashi had heard Naruto's voice, and cringed when he waited for the expected pounding on his door, but he wondered how the young man found out where he had moved to. But, when the pounding began on another door, Kakashi quietly got up and moved to his own door, cracked it open and watched as the door opened and a hand covered Naruto's.

He grinned when he heard Naruto's painful request and then narrowed his eyes when Sakura appeared and moved aside to let him in. Her hair had grown and was longer than what it had been when she cut it during the time when she was his student and her body looked as though it had filled out, but he could not see her face since she had turned her back to him.

When the pair emerged from her apartment, he watched as she moved to walk beside Naruto and due to his larger size, her face was, again, blocked from his view. Sighing, he decided to just go ahead and go to their little get-together. After what Sasuke had said to him, he was curious. After all, he was a grown man, in his prime and seeing a pretty girl would do him some good, even if he couldn't touch her. Besides, Genma would be there and would probably hit on her, thus causing his former students to defend her honor. He should really be there to make sure that nothing got out of hand.

So, that was how he came to be standing in front of the bar, in a pair of slacks and dark blue button down shirt. Opening the door, he saw several people look up and wave at him. However, he was more interested in finding his students.

"NARUTO!" A loud voice yelled, catching his attention and then a slap was heard. Moving towards the direction of the slap, Kakashi was treated to the sight of Sasuke holding Sakura back as she attempted to lunge at the blonde, who was now cowering in the corner of the booth.

"Let me go!" Sakura hissed. "I'm gonna put him out of my misery!" She tried to lunge again, but froze when Kakashi calmly said, "Now, children. That is no way to behave in public."

Sasuke gave him a slight nod, while Naruto waved at him in greeting. Sakura, still glaring at Naruto, turned to face him, and he was blown away. The years had certainly been good to her, filling her out in the right places. Her eyes were clear and gentle, and her skin appeared to be unblemished. She was beautiful.

"I know how to behave, Kakashi-sensei, but Naruto needs a lesson in how to speak to a lady." She snapped, her eyes darting over to the hokage-wannabe.

"But, you're not a lady....you're Sakura." Naruto said and shot underneath the table to escape the onslaught of pain that Sakura was about to deliver to him. However, he was saved when Kakashi grabbed Sakura around her waist and calmly said, "Sakura, let's go order some drinks and let Sasuke talk to Naruto."

Turning, Sakura flipped the young man off, who was peeking out from under the table, but then followed the older man to the bar. Naruto slowly slid back into his seat, and glanced at Sasuke.

"I told you, didn't I? Mean and scary!" He said, motioning towards the bar where Sakura was standing.

"You're such an ass." Sasuke muttered, and shook his dark head.

"What did you say, bastard?" Naruto snapped, his tone challenging.

* * *

"So, how do you like being back in Konaha?" Kakashi asked, ignoring the stares and whistles that were currently coming from the table that held his friends.

Sakura blushed when she heard someone call out, "If you don't want her, I'll take her." Kakashi glared over at the speaker, but then turned his eyes back to Sakura, who said, "To be honest, I don't want to be here. I liked it over in Sajai."

Nodding, Kakashi quickly told the bartender their order, then said, "I heard that your father volunteered you. I guess that you also know that you'll be working with me. Does that bother you?"

"No, it doesn't. I guess we'll just have to deal with the situation the best way we can." Sakura replied. When their drinks were ready, they moved back to the table, and Sakura noticed that Naruto was glaring at the table, while Sasuke was smirking.

Sliding in next to Sasuke, Sakura asked, "So, what happened?"

Both males glared at each other for a moment, but then Sasuke shrugged. "We have come to a small understanding." Sasuke said, his tone cool.

"Understanding, my ass. You threatened to tell Hinata that I wore women's underwear. We both know that I only put that on for the last Halloween party." Naruto growled. "And, to make things worse, he has pictures."

Sakura began to laugh as did Kakashi. When they finally were able to calm down, Sakura turned to Sasuke and said, "I'd like copies, please."

Naruto's face was a study in horror and it caused Sakura to break out into laughter once more. As the night progressed, they caught up on old times, and it was clear to all three men that not only had Sakura changed in appearance, but her attitude had changed as well.

But, if they needed proof of just how drastically her attitude had changed, they got it when a man walked over to their table and slammed his fist down on the hard wood, right in front of Sakura, causing everyone to grow quiet.

"I understand that your going to be the one to teach that daughter of mine how to be a shinobi. Good luck with that. She's worthless." He sneered, his break reeking of alcohol.

The men were about to speak their minds, but Sakura beat them to the punch. She was out of her seat and in the man's face before anyone had time to react.

"You know, I met your daughter today, and with you as her father, I can understand why she is so damn shy. You've killed any kind of confidence that she ever held and take pleasure in it. If you ask me, I'd say that you're the one who is worthless." Sakura replied, her tone cold as ice.

The man snorted and shook his head. "Big words from a little girl." He jeered, missing the twitch that Sakura's eye made. "And, I can't believe that you are going to teach them anything. Hell, you don't look like much to me, except for something to fuck. Tell you what, why don't you let me butter your little muffin. That should take some of the fire out of you."

Several chairs slid back and knuckles cracked, but Sakura quickly moved to kick the man's feet out from under him and had a knife to his throat before he could blink. When he noticed his new position, he glanced up at Sakura with his eyebrows raised.

Nodding, Sakura calmly said, "It's true that I'm not that big or tough-looking. But, I am strong enough and smart enough to put someone like you to the ground without even breaking a sweat. To answer your question, no. I am not training your daughter to be a shinobi. I am training her to be an omega shinobi."

"Yeah, right." He snorted, but then gasped when her knife cut his skin, causing a thin line of blood to run down his neck.

"You are messing with the wrong woman." She said, ignoring the way he tried to struggle underneath her. "I am well-aware that your daughter is now in the dorms and that you are not to have any contact with her. Let this serve as your only warning. Come near her, or my other students, I'll kill you and do it with a smile on my face."

When she removed the knife, and stood up, the man quickly found his feet and glared down at her. "Let's see you do that when I am completely sober." He snapped.

Raising her eyebrow, Sakura replied, "Oh, go home and let your alcohol muscles deflate. Besides, don't you have anything else better to do than to prove to everyone in here that you like to pick on girls?" Giving him a saccharine sweet smile, she returned to her seat and took a dainty sip of her drink.

Snorting, the man stomped out of the bar, ignoring the fact that he was still bleeding from the cut on his neck. Naruto stared at Sakura with his mouth open and said, "Wow."

"Indeed." Kakashi murmured. He had been ready to step in and defend Sakura's honor, but when he saw her deal with the situation, he knew that his student no longer needed him to rescue her. In some ways, she had left all of them behind.

Sasuke smirked. While he would have enjoyed a good brawl, the fact that Sakura proved that she could handle herself told him that she was exactly what he was looking for to help him rebuild his clan. With her as his wife and mother to his children, the Uchihas would be unstoppable.

However, his pleasant thoughts stopped in their tracks when the door opened and Ino walked in. Shikamaru and Choji were with her and when his eyes met hers, his eyes narrowed, causing her to look away.

Shikamaru had seen the small exchange and decided that it was time for Sasuke and him to have a talk. Leading the blond woman over to their former sensei, he made her sit down and told Choji to order them drinks.

Once she was distracted, he casually moved towards the table and stopped beside Sakura, who gave him a bright smile, to which he nodded.

"I'd like to have a word with you, Uchiha." He said, his tone bored. When the young man glanced at him, he lifted a brow when Sasuke said, "So, go ahead."

"Leave her alone." Shika said. "Ino doesn't deserve to be treated like this and she loves you. Now that something better has come along, you feel that it is alright to throw her away and I'm not going to let you hurt her. Just stop coming to her when you feel you need to get laid."

Sasuke felt Sakura stiffen, but snapped, "Ino and I are not together. We dated, but have nothing firm. Besides, she acts like she is my wife, and I wouldn't marry her if she were the last kunochi in Konaha."

A loud gasp was heard, and all eyes at the table turned to see Ino standing behind Shikamaru with Choji. Her eyes were filled with tears and before anyone could say another word, she turned and ran out of the bar, her sobs reaching their ears.

Asuma quietly got up and bent over to kiss Kurenai on her cheek. "Well, it looks as though that box of tissues will be coming in handy tonight. I'll see you later." He murmured, and took off after his distraught former student, giving Sasuke a glare in passing.

Glaring at Choji, Shikamaru snapped, "You were supposed to keep her at the table with Asuma-sensei."

Choji shrugged and said, "She didn't want any trouble to be started and was coming over here to get you. I think that we need to go, Shika."

Nodding, the slimmer man turned to glare at Sasuke before addressing Sakura. "Don't get too close to him, Sakura. He clearly doesn't care who he has to step on, or who he hurts, as long as he rebuilds his precious clan." He snapped, his eyes moving back up to Sasuke, who was shooting him glares meant to intimidate.

Turning on his heel, he threw over his shoulder at Kakashi, "What a great job you did with your prized pupil. His ability to destroy someone emotionally is to be envied. I'm sure your proud."

When he was gone, Sakura slowly turned to Sasuke and quietly asked, "What exactly is going on?"

Shrugging, Sasuke glared at Naruto when he began to talk, but then said, "Ino got it into her head that we were meant to be together. I don't desire a future with her and never started a relationship with her. We hung out and had sex a few times, but it was never more than that."

Rolling her eyes, Sakura muttered, "I see."

Kakashi sighed and stood up. "I'd like to have a word with you, Sasuke." Moving towards the door, he didn't bother to look behind him to see if Sasuke was following. He knew that the younger man would. When they were both outside, and out of earshot, Sakura leaned over, grabbed Naruto's shirt and snapped, "Ok, spill it and it had better be good."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Here is the next chapter. I will try and have the next chapter uploaded tomorrow evening. thanks for all of the reviews and please, keep them coming. I do love to read them.

* * *

Frowning, Sakura made her way outside and watched as her former sensei and her friend spoke to each other. Her eyes narrowed as Kakashi waved his hands in the air, while Sasuke simply stared at him, before giving a slight shrug.

Both men turned when she approached, followed by Naruto, and froze when she asked, "Are we intruding?"

For a moment, neither man said a word, but then Sasuke shook his head. "No. We were just about to go back inside. Besides, we still have not ordered anything to eat and I am hungry." He said, and brushed past them, but managed to turn his eyes to capture Sakura's as he passed.

As soon as he disappeared inside the bar, two sets of eyes turned to stare into a pair of mis-matched eyes. Shaking his head, the older man quietly said, "He's a grown man and it's his business. Let's just enjoy the rest of the night, ok?"

Nodding, Naruto followed Kakashi back to the bar, leaving Sakura to stand out in the street by herself. Narrowing her eyes, she wondered if she should go and check on Ino, but then decided that the girl would probably not want to see her, seeing as how upset she had been by the entire situation.

Sighing, she walked to the door and opened it, only to see Naruto and Sasuke yelling at each other, while Kakashi held his head in his hand. Marching up to their table, and ignoring the laughter that was all around her, she snapped, "What in the hell are you two fighting about now?"

"The bastard won't let me order a pizza for us." Naruto complained, as he pointed at Sasuke. "He says that my tastes suck."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "He wants to put ramen on it." He replied, his tone bored as his fingers drummed on the table.

Sakura's stomach did a flip-flop and she knew that she had just turned green. Unlike Naruto, ramen was not her favorite food. In fact, she had not even eaten what she had been bought when they sat with Iruka. Thankfully, Naruto had finished it off for her.

"Geez, you two act as if you're an old married couple just by the way you fight. Can't you compromise on anything?" She snapped, and glared at Kakashi when the older man began to laugh loudly at her question. "You are not helping."

Finally, it was decided that she and Kakashi would order, and they chose to get a large pizza with the works, minus ramen. Grumbling, the blonde crossed his arms and sunk down in his seat, his handsome face twisted into a pout.

As she settled back into her seat, she nearly yelped when Sasuke's hand brushed against her thigh. Peeking over at him, his face remained stoic, as if nothing had happened. Kakashi turned when someone called out his name and he excused himself to go and speak to the person, leaving his former students alone.

Both young men began to fidget, after a couple of minutes, and when her eyes turned to them, she found both males glaring at each other. Finally, they just couldn't hold back any longer, and so, they began to argue.

Cringing, she found herself sinking even lower into her seat as their voices grew louder and prayed for the night to end quickly. It got so bad that she decided that she didn't even want any pizza.

Kakashi came back to the table when the arguing got to the point where both men were threatening bodily injury and sighed when he saw Sakura.

"Well, I didn't think that they could hold out as long as they did. They set a new record for themselves." He muttered and reached over to give his former student's hand a comforting pat as he stood beside the table.

Giving the man a tired smile, she quietly said, "You know, I think that I am about to head out of here. I've got to be up early to start training my students."

"Yes, I have training, as well." Kakashi replied, and turned towards the two males. "Sakura and I are leaving. We have training and need to get some sleep."

Neither Sasuke or Naruto heard him. Both were too busy glaring at each other and refused to break eye contact with the other. So, when their companions called out their good nights to them, they went unanswered.

When they were at the door and Kakashi moved to open it, a loud voice shouted, "Finally going to score, eh Kakashi? Well, remember that we want details, man."

Shaking his head and giving Sakura a shrug, he gently pushed the woman out of the bar and into the cool night air. Loud laughter could be heard and Sakura gritted her teeth together.

"I wonder if they'd be laughing that hard if my fist was shoved down that asshole's throat." She muttered, her green eyes glaring at the bar door.

Kakashi chuckled. "Probably....and there would also be clapping, I'm sure." He replied.

Laughing, and feeling her mood lighten a bit, she turned in the direction of her apartment and then glanced over her shoulder.

"Well, are you coming or not?" She asked, her tone telling the man behind her that she was tired. When he caught up with her, he glanced down at the woman and then looked away. Damn, she was beautiful.

But, he also noticed that not only had her looks and attitude changed, her nature had also undergone a serious change.

When she was younger, she had not been able to keep her mouth closed, except on missions, but now, she seemed content with the silence and he found himself enjoying her company now, even more than when they were in the bar.

The walk to the apartment building was silent and when they reached her floor, she turned and flashed the copy ninja a grin and said, "Well, I guess that I will see you tomorrow."

Nodding, Kakashi watched as she unlocked her door and then allowed his eyes to widen in shock when she casually threw over her shoulder, "You know, if you are going to spy on people, you really should not be so obvious about it. Don't worry, I won't tell Naruto or Sasuke where you live. Clearly, you didn't want them to know, or else, Naruto would have knocked your door down before mine."

Before he could utter a reply, she opened her door and closed it behind her, leaving the stunned man to stare after her in amazement.

"Well, damn."

* * *

Gritting her teeth, Sakura stormed over to the man, who was leaning against a tree, reading his book. Looking around, she took note that his students were currently attempting to master one of many jutsus that he had taught her own team.

Walking right up to him, she reached down and yanked the beloved book out of its owner's hand, causing Kakashi to glare up at her.

"Is there a problem, Sakura?" He asked, his tone curt. His eyes were glued on the novel in her hand as she snapped, "Yes, there is a problem."

Gritting her teeth, she took in a deep breath and said, "Ikki is going to kill me."

Laughing, the man stood and towered over her and allowed his eyes to crinkle, letting her know that he was grinning.

"Now you know how I felt about Naruto." He said and reached over to ruffle her hair. Snarling at him, she yanked away and snapped, "Quit that. I'm not a little girl. I have a serious problem, Kakashi."

For a moment, they stared at each other, but when a loud 'boom' was heard, Sakura groaned and hung her head.

"Guess which jutsu he has mastered." She muttered. For several moments, Kakashi didn't speak and then he softly begged, "Please tell me you didn't teach them what I think you taught them."

When Sakura didn't reply, he cringed and glanced over at the area where the boom had come from. "You taught him the chakra bomb jutsu." He stated, his tone worried.

"Yes, I did." Sakura snapped. "It's the first real jutsu I learned as an omega and I just thought that they should learn things the way that I did."

Before he could say another word, both he and Sakura dove for the ground as the ground before them exploded. When they looked up, both of their teams were running towards them and stopped when they saw their senseis stand up.

Ikki smirked and said, "Gee, you're pretty quick for an old lady."

Sakura felt her temper rise and before she could move forward to deal with the brat, Kakashi grabbed her arm and calmly said, "Patience, Sakura. After all, he is only learning."

Her eyes fell onto the ground behind the masked ninja and then turned them to her former sensei's face. Sighing, she nodded and then said, "I suppose that you are right. After all, since he is learning, then I guess that means that you can't be angry about the smoldering pile of filth behind you."

Turning, Kakashi looked down to see his beloved Icha Icha Paradise burned and now smoldering. Falling to his knees, he quickly patted out the remaining flames and bowed his head.

She wasn't sure, but Sakura thought that his dark eye had a tear in it. Biting back a laugh, she turned to her students and calmly said, "I think that is enough for today. You guys did wonderful and brat...remember that chakra bombs are only used in life and death situations."

Her three students nodded and turned to walk away. Turning back to look at Kakashi, she found herself staring at a black-clothed covered chest and heard him say, "You. Owe. Me. Another. Book."

Tilting her head up a bit, she grinned and shook her head. "Sorry, but you said it yourself that he was only learning. Besides, you shouldn't have that crap out here to begin with." She replied, then grinned and disappeared in a flurry of sakura petals.

Kakashi noticed that his students, too, were gone and he turned to carefully pick up the remaining pieces. Gathering them in his arms, he slowly walked off the training field and went to mourn his precious book in private. It was a sad day in Kakashi's world.

* * *

"You are kidding me!" Naruto exclaimed, his voice filled with awe. "I can't believe that Kakashi's book was destroyed!"

Sakura sat at the table in the bar and grinned. As the laughter rang out through the bar, she looked around and noticed that there were many familiar faces. However, it was Ino's sad face that caught her eye.

The blond looked horrible. Her hair was down and looked messy and her eyes held dark circles underneath them. When she finally stood up, Sakura took that chance to excuse herself and followed the girl to the bathroom.

Waiting patiently by the sinks, she waited for Ino and smiled at her when she finally emerged from the stall, her eyes red and puffy. Giving her friend a sympathetic look, Sakura turned on the cold water and grabbed a paper towel. Wetting the towel, she silently handed it to Ino and watched as the blond ran it over her face.

"Men suck, don't they?" Sakura asked, her tone soft. "I'm guessing that things have been pretty rough for you."

Ino sniffled and nodded. "You know, when you left, I went after Sasuke hard and when I got him, I felt as if I owned the world, but now...I feel as if I am living in a nightmare." She whispered.

For a moment, neither woman spoke, but then Sakura softly said, "You know, in Sajai, I dated someone for a while, but later found out that he was cheating on me with someone I considered to be a friend. Believe me when I say that I know how it feels and that he doesn't deserve you if he can't show you any respect."

Ino narrowed her eyes a bit and carefully considered Sakura's words. She was.....right. Just who in the hell did Uchiha Sasuke think he was? If he had ever cared about her, even a little, he would not have treated her so badly.

Giving a sharp nod, Ino turned to the mirror and grumbled about her hair and was shocked when Sakura reached into her shoulder bag and pulled out a brush for her to use. Sasuke wouldn't have her to use anymore. Besides, there were other shinobi out there who would treat her well and she wasn't going to waste a single minute more thinking on the one who hurt her.

When the girls emerged from the ladies room, it was clear to all of their companions that something had happened to brighten Ino's mood, something that both Shikamaru and Choji were grateful for. The two girls were laughing at a private joke as they returned to their seats.

Naruto and Hinata scooted down so that Ino and Sakura could sit together and smiled at each other as they took in Ino's smile. It was nice to see her smile rather than cry.

As the group began to talk again, Kakashi's crowd entered the bar and made their way over to the tables that held the younger shinobi.

Genma grabbed a chair and pulled it up so that he was sitting next to Sakura. Grinning at her, he asked, "So, is it true that one of your students destroyed Kakashi's book?"

"Well, I learned the chakra bomb jutsu when I first became an omega and thought that they should learn in the same fashion that I did. It just so happened that when Ikki performed it, one of the bombs got away from him, causing me and Kakashi to hit the ground, and in the process, I dropped the book. I must say....I didn't know that shit could burn." Sakura replied with a smirk.

The table roared with laughter and Sakura noticed that Asuma was smiling fondly down at Ino. It was clear to her that the older shinobi looked at his students as something more than a former sensei. However, his smile faded when the door opened and Sasuke entered the bar and headed over to the table.

When the dark-haired young man stopped, he glanced over at Sakura and narrowed his eyes when he saw that Ino was sitting next to her. However, instead of lowering her eyes, Ino met his eyes with a glare from her own. He was not going to dictate who she could and could not sit next to and Sakura was a friend of hers.

If he was shocked by Ino's defiance, he didn't show it. Instead, he allowed his eyes to move to Sakura and he calmly said, "I heard that you made a grown man cry, Sakura."

More laughter was heard and it was Naruto who exclaimed, "Who wants to bet that the old man is probably sitting at home, mourning those burn pages while sobbing his eyes out?"

"Or, who would like to see this old man beat the ever-loving snot out of a certain blonde who just can't keep his mouth shut?" Kakashi said, his tone even as he smacked Naruto upside his head.

Heads snapped around to stare at the copy nin as he settled himself in a chair a few feet away from where Sakura was sitting. His mismatched eyes settled on her green ones and narrowed. Finally, he said, "I have a deal for you, Sakura."

Lifting an eyebrow, Sakura motioned with her hand for him to continue. However, when he did, it took all of her power not to gasp and yell at him for being a sick pervert.

"I bet that you can't read one Icha Icha Paradise from cover to cover and you must know who the characters are and what the plot is and tell it to me. If you don't, then you have to buy me the entire series. If you do, then I will give up reading the books on the training field." Kakashi calmly said, his voice soft.

At first, the table was silent, but then exploded as everyone began to talk. However, Kakashi kept his eyes trained on Sakura and knew that with her being an omega, it would not be in her nature to pass up a challenge.

And, she proved him right. "I'll do it." She said. "After all, how bad could it be?"


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Now you guys are completely caught up with the other website that I write on. I will be starting new chapters and with life going on, I will do my best to get them up. Please read and review.

* * *

Blushing, Sakura gasped at the page she was currently reading and felt her body grow warm. Kakashi reads this shit and doesn't ever get a hard-on? The man simply could not be human.

As she sat in her apartment, she had opened the book only an hour before and was already at a very graphic and lengthy sex scene that had her biting her lip and looking for something to fan herself off with.

Kakashi had delivered the book to her, and with an eye crinkle, he reminded her of the terms of their bet. But, he failed to warn her just how descriptive the book was and she could not help feeling as if she had been tricked.

But, as the night went on, Sakura found herself drawn into the story and found that the scenes were actually tastefully done. Big surprise, seeing as how Jiraiya was such a major pervert.

In fact, she spent all night reading and was shocked to find that morning had arrived. Sighing, she stood up and groaned. Not only did she miss out on a night's sleep, but she also had a major crick in her neck.

So, when she met her team out on the field, she noticed that Kakashi and his team were already there and doing their warming exercises. With a yawn, she told her students to warm up and was too tired to snap at Ikki when he told her that it was a waste of time for her to get beauty sleep because she'd need to sleep forever to get beautiful. Oh well, she'd get him back later.

As the day dragged on, Sakura noticed that Shiori kept sneaking small glances over at Kin and had to bite back a grin. She knew those glances well, seeing as how she used to do it to Sasuke. And, it seemed that while she was looking towards Kin, it was Ikki who was looking at her. It was team seven all over again.

When training was finally over, she realized that Kakashi was no longer around. Of course, he used to disappear quickly with her own team, too. Sighing, she reached into her bag and fingered the book. Perhaps she would pay him a visit and prove to him that she could follow through on her bets.

As she walked through the village, she could see the curious glances from many of the villagers and the admiring gazes of the shinobi while the civillians called out to her.

"Sakura! It's great to have you back."

"Mommy, look at the omega. Isn't she pretty?"

"I can't believe that a woman actually made it into the omegas. I wonder how she did it."

As much as she wanted to smirk, Sakura was too damn tired to try it. In fact, all she wanted to do was return the book, shove the requested information in Kakashi-sensei's face, then fall into her bed and sleep.

When she returned to her apartment, she took note that soft music was playing from her former sensei's apartment and she quickly hurried into her own apartment to change. Now, dressed in a pair of slacks and form-fitting shirt, she stood in front of Kakashi-sensei's door and knocked.

When the door opened, Sakura had to control the sudden urge to drool as she took in the sight of the man before her who was only clad in a pair of black shorts and mask.

"Ah, I see that you are returning my book. Are you ready to tell me about it?" He asked, leaning against the door.

Nodding, she watched as he moved aside and allowed her to enter his apartment. At first, she wondered if perhaps he had a roommate, mostly because the apartment was nicely decorated, and for the life of her, she could not see Kakashi-sensei having this good of taste.

Kakashi moved around the young woman and grinned. Clearly, she liked what she saw and he silently praised himself for hiring that young woman to decorate his apartment. It was money well spent.

Taking in a deep breath, Sakura asked, "Are you ready?"

When he nodded, she began to tell him about the characters and as she spoke, it became clear to the man in front of her that she had gotten involved in the story, as he knew she would. Despite all of her changes, Sakura was still a romantic at heart.

Once she was finished explaining the plot, he clapped and then shook his head. "Damn, and I really enjoyed reading while the students trained." He murmured.

"Yeah," Sakura said, her tone dry, "Now you are going to have to actually watch them."

Lifting an eyebrow, he regarded the woman before him, but then shook his head. "Sakura, I always watched my students. Just because it isn't the way that you do it, doesn't mean that it is wrong. How do you think I always knew of Naruto's plans to try and see underneath my mask?" He asked, merrily.

"Actually, I always thought that it was because Naruto was so loud." She muttered, her eyes scanning over the living room. But, they came to stop on a large bookcase.

Stepping over to the case, she saw that the man had several books, mostly Icha Icha Paradise, but was surprised to see other books, as well. Slowly, she looked down at the book in her hand and discovered that it was the first in the series. Placing it back in its place, she noticed that the second book was not there and turned when Kakashi cleared his throat.

"I believe that you are looking for this." He said, his tone light. He watched as her face reddened, but when she walked over to him and reached for the book, he grabbed her hand and pulled her down next to him on the sofa.

"I let you read the first one, as a bet. To read the second one, you have to sit here and read with me for a while." He said and allowed her to take the book from his hand before allowing his eyes to return to the book that he was reading.

She stared at the man, but then allowed her eyes to turn downwards and lifted the cover to the book. Soon, she was lost in the story and didn't notice the time fly by until Kakashi closed his book and stretched.

"I think that perhaps it is time to go to bed. I'm sure you want all the rest you can get to deal with your, um, prized pupil." He said, his eye crinkling up.

Shocked, Sakura's eyes turned towards the clock that rested beside the couch and gasped. Jumping up, she clutched the book to her chest and nodded. But, before she could move to the door, Kakashi stood in front of her and calmly said, "Remember, you agreed to read with me in order to read the second book, so I'll just hold onto that, and I'll see you tomorrow night. Same time."

Gritting her teeth to fight off a sharp comeback, she stiffly nodded and quickly left his apartment. As she entered her apartment and closed the door behind her, she sighed.

'Yep, definitely tricked.' She thought, groaning. 'I'm going to end up turning into a pervert.'

* * *

For the next few days, she decided to go over the history of the Omegas. For once, Ikki seemed intent on listening to every word that she had to say and it shocked her just how intelligent the boy turned out to be.

His questions were rapid and he wanted to know everything from who was the first Omega, to the rituals that the body of an Omega went through when they died. To say he was fascinated would be an understatement. It was very clear to her that if he settled down, he would make an excellent Omega.

But, it wasn't until the third week of training that she finally understood why Ikki was the way he was. She was walking back to her apartment and decided to take a shortcut. Even though it led through a rough part of the village, she knew that any who dared approach her would not be happy with the outcome.

As she rounded a corner, she heard a gruff voice snap, "Don't think that they are going to let a bastard like you become an Omega, boy. The only reason why they brought that female here was to make sure that the training would be so hard that there was no way that you could pass it. You'll never be a shinobi, let alone an Omega shinobi."

Sakura quietly peeked around the corner to see Ikki standing in front of a very large man, who had his hands upon his hips with a smirk on his lips. Even though she was looking at his back, Sakura could see the boy was shaking.

"Hell," The man sneered, "the only reason why she is here is because the Omegas are trying to get rid of her because they don't want a broad pissing up their traditions. Hiro said that it would only be a matter of time before you fools fail and she is forced from her position for failing to follow through with her orders. Serves her right, too."

Sakura felt her rage grow, and then froze when she heard Hiro's name. Thinking back, the man seemed a little too eager for her to leave, and now, it was beginning to make sense. Everyone knew that she really couldn't stand children, so why would they have sent her? Yes, her father could request her, but in the end, it would be Hiro who had the final say, and now, she was finding out that not only was she sent to basically fail these three kids, but it turned out that she was also being thrown away, and by the one person who she had trusted most. Her mentor. It all made sense now.

When the man left, she quietly approached Ikki and placed her hand on his shoulder. When the boy's dull eyes turned to hers, she quietly said, "You are supposed to be in the dorms. I'll walk you back."

Ikki's shoulders drooped, and he allowed her to lead him away. As they walked, he quietly said, "My dad, my real dad, was a ninja, and that's all I ever wanted to be. Now I'm going to fail, again."

"I don't ever want to hear you say that again." She snapped, her tone hard. "Omegas do not give up. We don't back away from challenges and if there is something that we want, we go after it with everything we got. We either succeed, or die trying, and even then, we go down fighting."

Ikki's eyes widened as he looked up into his sensei's face. Did that mean that she was really going to help them? Or, was this some trick to make him comfortable enough to trust her and then fail him. Well, he wasn't going to fall for it.

"Whatever." He replied, his tone tired. "I'll see you tomorrow, sensei."

Sakura's eyes widened when no further comment came forth from his mouth, nor any insult. The boy truly looked defeated. As she watched him walk away, an image came to her mind. Beside her student walked the image of a younger Naruto and it suddenly occurred to her that what was happening to Ikki, happened to Naruto, as well. Except this time, she was witnessing the abuse, first hand.

She remembered the scorn and ridicule that her friend received at the hands of the villagers and now saw Ikki as the same lonely boy that Naruto had been and was looking for attention the wrong way. It was sad that grown people could gain so much joy from watching a child be destroyed by their cruel words.

Suddenly, Sakura didn't see Ikki as a problem child. She saw him as someone who needed an ear to talk to and she wasn't stupid enough to offer hers, at least not at the moment. But, she knew someone who would listen.

Smiling as a plan began to form in her mind, Sakura walked towards the place where she knew he would be and she had a feeling that he wouldn't refuse her.

* * *

"You want me to do what?" Naruto asked, after swallowing a mouthful of noodles. He eyed Sakura as if she had grown another head, and was stunned that she had come to him to ask for help.

"I want you to be Ikki's mentor." She replied and waved the ramen girl over to order Naruto another bowl of his favorite flavor. "Naruto, I know you remember how you were treated when we were kids, and now, Ikki is being shunned, just like you were. Perhaps if he had you, the way you had Iruka, then maybe we can get him, as well as the others, on the road to being great Omega shinobi."

Naruto was silent and didn't touch his food as he considered Sakura's words. Yeah, he remembered. He remembered the loneliness and the laughter that was at his expense. Now, he was pained to hear that another child had been targeted as the new object of scorn for the village and he suddenly turned his blue eyes up to Sakura.

"I'll do it. And, I'm going to get Hinata to help, as well. I'm sure that little girl could use someone to talk to, as well. You know, someone to teach her how to be a lady." He said, excitement clear in his voice.

Inner Sakura was seething and she managed to snap as her eyebrow twitched, "Am I not a lady, Naruto?"

The young man before her turned with wide eyes and asked, "You?"

As she stomped away, Naruto heard her yell that he'd better get his ass to the training grounds by sunrise the next morning, or he'd get more of what she just gave him. The ramen girl slowly approached him and timidly asked, "Are you alright?"

Parting the noodles that dangled in front of his eyes, Naruto sighed. "I knew that she was resourceful, but I never imagined that she'd use my favorite dish against me. I don't think that I'll ever see ramen the same way again."

As he sat in complete silence for a few moments, he suddenly exclaimed, "Ahh, who am I kidding? I could never stay away from my favorite food. Another bowl, if you please."

The ramen girl shook her head and sighed. It was going to be another long night.

* * *

When evening fell, she let out a breath and gently knocked on the door. When it opened, Kakashi silently stepped to the side and allowed her to walk into his apartment. She sat down and reached for the book as he sat down beside her.

She stared at the book in her hands and suddenly realized that she had been looking forward to this. It was a way for her to unwind, and she then wondered if this was how Kakashi relaxed, allowing his mind to rest after spending his day either fighting or training.

Suddenly, she saw the man beside her in a new light. She had known that he wasn't stupid, nor was he lazy. He was a man of contradictions and all he had in his life to bring him comfort was within the books he loved to read. They were his escape and who in the hell was she to look down upon him for it? Especially now, since she had been trapped in their lustful web.

Ah, who in the hell was she kidding? What she really needed was a good fuck, and sadly, the only way she was going to get it was in her imagination. That's what was drawing her to those damn books. If she couldn't have sex in real life, she could do it in her mind. She'd just substitute herself for the lead female and away she'd go.

As she allowed her thoughts to surround her, she sighed. She was pathetic.

"Would you care for something to drink, before we get started?" Kakashi asked, her eyes twinkling.

Nodding, she smiled and accepted the glass of water he handed to her. Taking a small sip, she set the glass down and then opened the book to the page where she had left off. She was barely aware of the man sitting down beside her, and was soon wrapped up in a fantasy where she was being swept off her feet by a shinobi whose only purpose was to protect her at all costs.

Kakashi looked up from his own book to look as his companion and smiled beneath his mask. He had known that Sakura would become addicted. Hell, he had fallen victim to the book's siren's call the very first time he had opened the first book's cover. Ever since then, he was an avid fan.

He was even on the waiting list for the next book to be published.

However, this night was different from the last. She was sitting next to him, almost touching, and it sent a shiver down his spine, as he watched Sakura enjoy the books that he loved so much. To know that he could share this past time with her, was comforting.

Finally, he felt as if he had found a kindred spirit.


End file.
